8th Wonder of the World EXPLODED! Rotorua New Zealand 🇳🇿 Waimangu Valley

Join us as we explore Waimangu Volcanic Valley - the youngest geothermal area in New Zealand and what the world once knew as the White and Pink Terraces. https://www.waimangu.co.nz/

Our day started with a nice drive from Okere Falls through Rotorua all the way down to Waimangu Volcanic Valley.

As soon as we arrived, we noticed the place looked like a scene from a Hollywood movie, much like Jurassic Park.

They offered different tours and activities that we could choose from according to what we wanted to see and experience. Every activity came at a different price point for adults, kids, and families, and the pass prices were quite affordable.

Right at the start, we met our tour guide, David Blackmore. He gave us a complete overview of the Volcanic Valley and explained how the volatile eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 buried the White and Pink Terraces, which were considered the 8th Wonder of the World.

They were New Zealand’s first tourist attraction drawing in (mostly) people from Europe who came to admire the terraces created over thousands of years thanks to the silica-rich water from the hot springs and geysers.

The biggest geyser to ever exist in New Zealand was able to shoot hot water 400 meters up in the air for four full years between 1900 and 1904!

At the beginning of the trail, a viewpoint showed us how desolate the area looked after Mt. Tarawera erupted. All the vegetation was wiped away and started growing again only a month later.

The size of the flora and fauna in Waimangu Volcanic Valley is incredible. Everything seems gigantic compared to the regular size of certain species, all thanks to the volcanic soil.

Next, we saw the Frying Pan, which is considered the largest hot spring in the world, and which also created a lake that unfortunately is too hot and full of acid to swim in.

Right beside the Frying Pan, we saw the spot where the biggest geyser once used to exist. Due to the eruption, some seeds and spores that once used to lie buried under the soul resurfaced and started growing again. One of them was the Psilotum Nudum or Whisk Fern.

Then we moved to the Hot springs of Mother Earth and the inferno crater. But since there was so much to see, we had to continue our tour the next day.

On day 2, we took a bus to Rotomahana Lake, where the Ariki Mohana boat was waiting to take us on tour around the lake. An interesting fact about this water basin says that it grew 20 times its size after the eruption of Mount Tarawera.

It was a boat ride unlike any other because we saw multiple geysers going off in front of our eyes. Can you imagine?

Last, we checked out Waimangu Monitoring Station, where we learned how the water actually erupts and creates the lakes in the Valley.

Stayed tuned for our continuing adventures in the Rotorua area. This region is truly epic!

0:00 Okere Falls — Rotorua — Waimangu
1:37 Welcome to Waimangu Volcanic Valley
2:28 Overview and History of the Volcanic Valley
2:54 NZ Tourism Before Mt. Tarawera Eruption
3:26 Panorama of the Past - White and Pink Terraces
4:20 Why does everything grow so big in the Waimangu Valley?
5:00 Map of Waimangu Volcanic Valley
5:30 The Frying Pan — Largest Hot Spring in the World
7:00 Waimangu Geyser
7:55 A Plant from the Past — Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern)
8:25 Hot Springs of Mother Earth
8:57 Inferno Crater
10:24 Ariki Mohana Boat Ride on Lake Rotomahana
11:18 Witnessing a Geyser Erupt
13:33 Waimangu Monitoring Station